Performance evaluation of PV powered solar tunnel dryer integrated with a mobile alert system for shrimp drying

• Published in: Solar energy Vol. 240; pp. 246 - 257
• Main Authors: Murali, S., Alfiya, P.V., Aniesrani Delfiya, D.S., Harikrishnan, S., Kunjulakshmi, S., Samuel, Manoj P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2022
• Subjects: Aurdino; Forced convection; Greenhouse dryer; GSM module; Load sensor; Walk-in-type; GSM module; Walk-in-type; Forced convection; Greenhouse dryer; Load sensor; Aurdino
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2022.05.028

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•A mobile (SMS) alert system was employed to obtain the drying status of shrimps.•Shrimp was dried to the moisture content of 10.54% in 6 h under solar tunnel dryer.•Page model accurately predicted the drying behaviour of shrimp.•Maximum thermal efficiency of the dryer was 20.22 % at 11:30 AM.•PV obtained an efficiency of 11.64% and supplied load requirement of 0.636 kWh/day.
The study was aimed at evaluating the drying characteristics, modelling of drying behaviour, and performance of PV powered walk-in-type semi-cylindrical forced convection solar tunnel dryer integrated with a mobile alert system using shrimps (Metapenaeus dobsoni). The dryer was fabricated using UV stabilized polythene film, CPVC pipes, and GI frames and coupled with a PV panel. A mobile alert system consisting of an Arduino UNO, load sensor, and GSM module was evaluated as an automatic data acquisition and information support system for the dryer users. Fresh shrimp samples were dried to the moisture content of 10.54% (w.b) from 79.22% (w.b) in 6 h. The graph of drying rate against the time exhibited that shrimp drying took place under the falling-rate drying period. Mathematical modelling of the drying process revealed that the Page model could accurately predict the drying behaviour of shrimp. The maximum drying efficiency of 20.22% was attained for drying shrimp in the solar tunnel dryer under forced convection. PV panel obtained an average electrical efficiency of 11.64% and supported the load requirement of 0.636 kWh/day for drying. The mobile alert system was effectively tested as an automatic data acquisition and information support system for dryer users.